CNN boss Chris Licht is leaving the company. CNN’s parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery, said Wednesday the light is going with immediate effect. A successor is currently being sought, and the US news channel is temporarily run by a team.
“I have a lot of respect for Chris, personally and professionally,” said WBO boss David Zaslav. “It was clear that leading CNN would not be easy, especially during a time of upheaval and transformation, and he did the job with all his heart.”
Just last week, the magazine TheAtlantic published a critical report on light. It was about a live broadcaster event on May 10 with former US President Donald Trump. He was able to make largely unchallenged false claims about his 2020 presidential election defeat, announce he would pardon many of those involved in the Jan. 6, 2021 storming of the Capitol, and call CNN host Kaitlan Collins a “disgusting person.”
Licht took over the CNN top post in May 2022 from longtime boss Jeff Zucker, who had to leave because of a relationship with a colleague. In his time, approval ratings for CNN have plummeted, despite Licht’s efforts to make the channel more attractive to Republican viewers as well.